Each week we like to champion the music scene with ten songs in our playlist that all have a connection to the RaW (Reading and Wokingham) area and sometimes beyond. This week we have three new tracks for you from acts with connections to Reading and Wokingham. As always, we have a wide variety of musical styles, but we think they’re all worth a listen and we hope you find something new to enjoy as well as maybe getting out to experience the thrill of live music.
1. Helicon – Arise –
A busy night last week. After catching punk originals 999 (their second ever gig was at Bones in Reading, 50 years ago) at the Purple Turtle, we trekked across to the Face Bar where Future Transmissions were hosting Helicon, all the way from Glasgow (which made our trip look minor!). We were glad we did, their psychedelic rock, including four guitars, synths, and sitar, was mesmerising. This is the title track from their recent album. https://www.heliconglasgow.com/
2. Echo Chambers – Fraudestal –
We featured a couple of tracks from Echo Chambers a couple of years ago, because we liked them so much. We’re very pleased to report they’ve just brought out an EP of four new tracks entitled Venntriloquy (that’s the correct spelling, a pun on Venn diagrams), and this is the lead track. You can tell they’re from Reading, one of the other tracks on the EP is called Cheeselog! We’ve yet to catch them live, but will definitely keep an eye out! https://www.instagram.com/echochambersrdg/
3. Two-Man Giant Squid – 3 Hits –
A shout out to Neil Goulding, who has been looking after the entertainment side of things at the Purple Turtle for the last couple of years and more, and is now taking a break. He’s been responsible for a string of great bands appearing in Reading from all over the globe, including recently Two-Man Giant Squid all the way from New York City. We went along just based on the name, and our curiosity was rewarded with an evening of wonderful sounds, we loved the dance groove that they injected into their music. https://www.instagram.com/twomangiantsquid/
4. Panic Shack – Girl Band Starter Kit –
Are You Listening? Festival was another great success this year, with over 40 acts performing in six venues around Reading; we managed to catch about half of them! As always, the Festival was well organised, with a range of styles of music and blessed with great weather. One of the highlights were Sub89 headliners Panic Shack, with a joyously energetic performance in front of a packed house, delivering upbeat songs with a feminist message. This is the lead track from their debut album. https://www.panicshack.com/
5. Palindrones – Brightling Star (Strange Futures Remix) –
Beat Cancer is a charity that releases music and hosts events to raise money to fund research to help fight cancer. They have two gigs at the Face Bar on 29th and 30th May, the first with EBM, Industrial, Synthpop & Techno, the second with live bands featuring Deviant, TIRS, The Go Go Cult and Palindrones. We’ve chosen this, the latest single from Palindrones. https://beatcancer.info/
6. Grace Pounds – So Long –
Are You Listening? features local artists as well as those from further afield, and one of the former we were please to see was Grace Pounds whose music we have featured in the playlist before. This is her latest single, and, as we mentioned back in January, Grace has released videos to accompany her recent songs, including this dreamy one about finding a place you can be secure even when beset by doubts. https://www.facebook.com/GracePoundsMusic
7. Eddie Roxy and the Adjacent Kings – Billy Porter –
Back in 1980, the band Department S had a hit with the song Is Vic There? 45 years on, Eddy Roxy, the vocalist from Department S, is fronting his own band, the Adjacent Kings, with a mix of Department S and new songs. We saw them recently supporting The Vapors at the Face Bar, another great evening courtesy of Future Transmissions, and before that a couple of years ago with local legends, The Members, in Bracknell. This is his latest single, released earlier this year. https://www.instagram.com/eddieroxyandtheadajcentkings/
8. Selina and the Howlin Dogs – Black Dog –
Opening with appropriate howling, and a classic blues guitar riff (reminiscent of La Grange by ZZ Top, who in turn half-inched it from John Lee Hooker) this track from Reading’s blues purveyors Selina and the Howlin Dogs shares a title with a Led Zeppelin classic, but the subject is the black dog of depression, though the upbeat music gives hope that it can be overcome.
They performed last weekend at Danfest at the Butler, in aid of Epilepsy Action, and next month they’re supporting Brave Rival at Arlington Arts in Newbury. https://www.facebook.com/SelinaandtheHowlinDogs
9. Cephid – Promises Prelude –
As we hope you gather from this playlist, the Reading area has a lively music scene. One part of it is Reading Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM), run by the Readipop charity, which provides a platform for aficionados of vintage synths to perform their compositions. Cephid, aka Moray Macdonald, appeared at the most recent one at South Street Arts Centre, this is his latest single. https://
www.facebook.com/cephid.world
10. Jack Foz – Can’t Be Easy to Love –
Jack Foz is based in London, but popped along to the Purple Turtle to headline the party celebrating 10 years of Dean Nelson’s Generation Studio. We’re glad he did, because his set was excellent, with great songs and a fantastic sound from his five-piece band; hear for yourself with his latest single! (Dean is a busy chap, as well as running the studio and doing sound engineering for bands, he’s also in charge of Wokingham Festival!) https://www.facebook.com/jackfozmusic
You can listen to all the songs featured in our Spotify playlist at https://bit.ly/rawsoundstoday
